The Dunajec (); Goral dialects: ''Dónajec'') is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...
running through northeastern
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
and southern
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
. It is also regarded as the main river of the Goral Lands. It is a right
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...
of the
Vistula
The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland.
The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...
River. It begins in
Nowy Targ
Nowy Targ (Officially: ''Royal Free city of Nowy Targ'', Yiddish: ''Naymark'', Goral Dialect: ''Miasto'') is a town in southern Poland, in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is located in the Orava-Nowy Targ Basin at the foot of the Gorce Mounta ...
at the junction of two short mountain rivers, Czarny Dunajec and Biały Dunajec (Black and White Dunajec). Dunajec forms the border between Poland and
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
for
[ in the Pieniny Środkowe (Slovak: Centrálne Pieniny) range, east of the Czorsztyn ]reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contr ...
.
Geography
The Dunajec is long, including its source river Czarny Dunajec,[Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Poland 2017]
Statistics Poland, p. 85-86 which makes it Poland's thirteenth longest river. It has a basin area of ( in Poland, and in Slovakia).[ On the Slovak/Polish border, it flows through the Zamagurie region, with attractions such as the Dunajec River Gorge, the Trzy Korony ]massif
In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...
with a precipice, Červený Kláštor, and two Pieniny castles in Czorsztyn and Niedzica.
Below the two source streams Dunajec flows through a broad valley called Nowotarska Basin. It then supplies the waters of the dam in Niedzica (Jezioro Czorsztyńskie Lake) and the dam in Sromowce Wyżne
Sromowce Wyżne is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Czorsztyn, within Nowy Targ County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland, close to the border with Slovakia. It lies approximately south-east of Maniowy, east of Nowy ...
(Sromowce Wyżne reservoir). Flowing through the central part of the Pieniny range, it creates a picturesque turn at the Polish Slovak border between Sromowce Wyżne
Sromowce Wyżne is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Czorsztyn, within Nowy Targ County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland, close to the border with Slovakia. It lies approximately south-east of Maniowy, east of Nowy ...
and Szczawnica
Szczawnica is a resort town in Nowy Targ County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. As of June 30, 2007, its population was 7,378.
Szczawnica has been a well-known resort town since the mid nineteenth century. Due to the presence o ...
, where it flows by Kotuńka
The Kotuńka Rock is a prominent rock found in the centre of the current of the river Dunajec just before the entry into Szczawnica. Built from limestone, the rock is well seen from the road and is a characteristic landmark in the area. Just above ...
rock which differentiates the area from the over parts of the river. Further down it turns to the north into the Western Beskid Mountains, and Sądecka Basin (where it merges with its own largest tributary, the Poprad river). It flows across an open valley of the Beskid Foothills and falls down across Rożnów Foothills (with two more dams: the Jezioro Rożnowskie Lake, and Jezioro Czchowskie Lake) and finally, it leads into the Sandomierz
Sandomierz (pronounced: ; la, Sandomiria) is a historic town in south-eastern Poland with 23,863 inhabitants (as of 2017), situated on the Vistula River in the Sandomierz Basin. It has been part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy Cross Prov ...
Basin and the valley of Vistula Lowlands. Dunajec flows into the Vistula River
The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland.
The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...
in the vicinity of Opatowiec.
Towns and townships
The Dunajec flows through or near these locations in Poland and north Slovakia:
Gallery
File:CervenyKlastor11Slovakia6.JPG, Dunajec and the Trzy Korony Mountain
File:A MG 5185 Panorama.jpg, Dunajec in autumn
File:Przełom Pieniński a1.jpg, Dunajec Gorge in the Pieniny mountains
File:Przełom Dunajca widok z Kładki w Sromowcach Niż.jpg, Dunajec in Sromowce Niżne
File:Szczawnica Dunajec 3.jpg, Dunajec in Szczawnica
Szczawnica is a resort town in Nowy Targ County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. As of June 30, 2007, its population was 7,378.
Szczawnica has been a well-known resort town since the mid nineteenth century. Due to the presence o ...
See also
* Dunajec River Gorge
* Rivers of Poland
Following is a list of rivers, which are at least partially, if not predominantly located within Poland.KSNG (2002–2014)List of Names of Flowing Waters (Wykaz nazw wód płynacych)(PDF file, direct download 1.47 MB), Komisja Standaryzacji Nazw Ge ...
* Rivers of Slovakia
This is a list of the major rivers that flow through Slovakia and their lengths.
Alphabetic list (selection)
Ordered by rivers and their tributaries (selection)
''ordered against the direction of the river flow; H stands for Hungary''
* Danu ...
* 1934 flood in Poland
1934 flood in Poland ( pl, Powódź w Polsce, 1934) was the biggest flood in the Second Polish Republic. It began with heavy rains in the Dunajec river basin, which took place between 13 and 17 July 1934. In the following days, the flood spread t ...
* Dunajec river castles The Dunajec river castles is a chain of thirteen medieval castles (some of which do not exist any longer), built in southern Lesser Poland, along the Dunajec river. The castles protected the border between the Kingdom of Poland and the Kingdom of Hu ...
References
Dunajec River at Encyclopædia Britannica
{{Authority control
Rivers of Slovakia
Rivers of Poland
Rivers of Lesser Poland Voivodeship
Poland–Slovakia border
International rivers of Europe
Border rivers
Braided rivers in Europe